Episode Title: “The Wall”

Leslie’s efforts to take down the wall separating Eagleton and Pawnee yield unexpected results.

The Good:

Ron, Father: A Ron-Prepares-for-Fatherhood storyline probably would not have worked, and would most likely have been unnecessary, so it was perfectly fine that his son, John, just showed up and that’s that. Their first plot together was a good one, which featured Ron doing what he does best: fixing things, helping Leslie and just being awesome.

Baby: There were lots of good Ron-Baby John moments, but when he grabbed the stroller and said, “C’mon, John” to his infant son – that was funny.

Tom’s Bistro: And so begins a new storyline to pull us to the close of season six and into season seven. A new place for the gang to hang out could be cool. The retail store (Rent-A-Swag) storyline for Tom delivered numerous laughs, so maybe Tom as restaurateur will be equally enjoyable.

Chicago: The beginning march of Leslie’s inevitable exit from Pawnee has been set. A job in Chicago with the National Park Service awaits. She’s going to leave – with Ben, we hope! -, and Grant’s job offer sets the stage for a storyline that should run from now until the close of season seven/series finale.

Best Line: Ron: “Most people in the world, John, are assholes.”

The Bad:

Donna: Where was Donna? Something didn’t feel quite right.

Craig: The yelling thing might have finally run its course.

Chicago: Leslie not accepting the job offer from Grant on the spot is, in real life, ridiculous. But there is one more season to go so she needs to stay in Pawnee (for now).

Overall:

“Parks And Recreation” should be ending this season with Leslie taking a new job out of town, like the one in Chicago that she was offered in “The Wall” episode. We know she’s going, but there is all of next season to deal with before we find ourselves on that great day when Leslie Knope says goodbye to Pawnee. Any second Ron was on screen in this episode was terrific, especially when he was interacting with his new son, John (middle name redacted).

Rating: 7/10

Parks and Recreation airs on NBC at 8:30 pm (ET/PT) on Thursday nights.